Puzzle



C. H. HAMMOND.

PUZZLE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY1.1920.

1, 1 1 0,295, Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

(Zara's /1. Hamm nd;

Arm/Mrs UNITED STATES onAnLns HERBERT HAMMOND, or wrnmmc ronnnnawnnn.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patqgntefl D1 21 192.2.

Application filed May 1, 1920. Serial N0.I378,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crmnnns Hnncnn'r HAMMoND, a citizen. of the United States, and a resident of Vilmington, in the. county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to amusement devices and more particularly to an amusement device of the nature of a puzzle, my object being the provision of an arrangement which may be utilized for certain purposes having a political significance as presently described, and a. further object is the provision of a simple inexpensive device of this nature which may be formed of various materials and will be interesting in use.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating my present invention and forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a top plan view,

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section looking in one direction.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken at right angles to Figure 2, and

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken diagonally through the top plate.

Referring now to these figures my invention proposes an amusement in the nature of a puzzle having a body portion 10 disposed between a top plate 11 and a bottom plate 12, respectively spaced above and below the body plate. The opposite sides of the body 10 preferably has upright ribs 13 supporting the side edges of the top 11 and to which the latter is connected. the inner portlion of the upper surface of the body 10 being exposed to view between the ends of the ribs 13 through the spaces between the body and the vertically spaced top plate 11.

The body portion 10 is provided in its upper face with a circular recess whose base 1 1 is convexly curved and is provided with a central opening 14 communicating with the space between the body 10 and the bottom plate 12, the latter of which is closed around the sides by walls 15, certain of which have openings 16 at points above the bottom plate 12.

The top wall 11 has spaced recesses '17 in its upper surface adjacent to diagonally opposite corners, and adjacent to these recesses 17, is provided with openlngs 18 through which balls 19 and 20 may be introduced onto the convex surface 14:, these balls being greater in diameter than the side spaces between the body plate 10 and the top plate 11. In use the device, with the balls 19 and 20 on the convex base 1 1, may be given a circular or shaking motion until one of the balls drops through the opening 14? downwardly upon the bottom plate 12, from which it may be withdrawn through one of the side openings 18 and the balls may be colored or otherwise distin guished from one another like the recesses of the top plate, the ball so dropping through is withdrawn and placed in the proper recess of the top plate to indicate the winning candidate.

If so desired one of the recesses of the top plate may be labeled with the name of one political faction and the other recess with another political faction as in Figure 1, in which case the lower compartment be low the body plate 10 constitutes the office being sought and thus the user has his interest maintained not only to shake the balls down through the opening lt but also to note which ball proceeds through the opening first.

The device is thus of the nature of a puzzle and is obviously of simple construction and may be readily manufactured from a variety of materials.

I claim:

1. An amusement device of the nature of a puzzle, including a recessed plate, the base of the recess of which. plate is of convex form and is provided with. a central opening, means forming a ball receiving compartment below the said opening to catch. balls falling through the opening and consisting of a bottom plate spaced below the recessed plate and side walls certain of which have openings through which balls may be withdrawn from the said compartment, balls for movement on the convex base of the recess and through the said opening, and a top piece forming a permanent covering for the body plate having an opening through which the balls may be introduced into the recess, said top piece being spaced from the upper surface of the body plate a distance less than the diameter of the balls as described.

2. An amusement device of the nature of a puzzle, including a body plate having a recess in its upper face, the base of which recess is of convex form, and also having an opening extending through the center of the said base, balls for movement on the convex surface, means consisting of abottom plate having apertured side Walls below the body plate, forming a ball receiving compartment below the said opening,

and a top plate forminga permanent covering, the said upper surface of the body plate having upstanding ribs at opposite sides 10 of its recess serving to support the top piece and space the same above the body plate a distance less than the diameter of the balls, said top plate having spaced openings through Which the balls mayv be moved 5 into the saidrecess of the body plate.

' CHARLES HERBERT HAMMOND. 

